Planet Terrace

Challenge survey fixed

2007-05-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

My apologies to anyone who's been visiting and couldn't submit their Challenge items. The poll is working now (although not in the ideal format). Unfortunately, you'll only be able to submit one item at a time. But please don't let that stop you from participating.

Thanks, faithful Planet readers!

The Planet Terrace Challenge

2007-05-16T14:51:00.001-07:00

Follow ups | Feedback | PT Challenge | PT Giveaway! | New poll | Homework

There's lots of exciting Planet firsts and other things this time so let's jump right in...

Follow ups [next item]
Rotoract's Earth Day
I received word from Melanie and Kelly at Rotoract that the Earth Day Recycle-a-thon went splendidly! They raised over $250 and made a good dent in filling the Do Your Part truck to boot. They received some garden tools, too, and as promised any profits are going to the Terrace Anti-Poverty Society Community Garden fund. YAY Rotoract!

In the news
So after the news coverage Planet Terrace received, I want to say this: WOW! Such amazing feedback and encouragement! It was great to see you all getting into the discussion. I was also contacted by a few people who had some pretty interesting and useful information to share, which I hope to get more into next post. But it was pretty great to hear from all the vocal, visible and not so visible supporters out there. Keep fighting the good fight, friends!

Feedback [next item]
Following from that, if anyone didn't get a chance to read the comments from the last post, there was some good feedback from people wanting to support and indicate their own special areas of interest. A call for items that residents can act on to get themselves into the carbon reducing swing of things was heard loud and clear, and prompts this post's feature: The Planet Terrace Challenge. Also good comments about people's frustrations and feelings on the City's lack of recycling was part of the discussion. As well as some generally enlightening and encouraging 'soap-boxing' (not really, just friendly enthusiasm). Be sure and check out the post. Also, note that if you'd like to comment on any of the posted comments or past posts, there's no expiry date on that. You're welcome (and encouraged!) to continue a discussion started in an earlier post if you feel the urge.

The PT Challenge [next item]
Right, well. Let's get right down to it. What immediate steps could you take to start making a difference?

We have suggested a couple of things so far: carbon offsets, walking/biking instead of driving (see our poll round up for some exciting results on that one!), recycling, recycling and more recycling, and a slightly vague promotion of CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs). Well, if that doesn't get you moving, I've decided to take the more direct route. I've created the very first Planet Terrace Challenge!

The Challenge is basically a to-do list. Something to remind you of a few small things you can do to put some more items in the minus column of your carbon diet. I've created it in JPG format for easy download and viewing. Please only print it if you need to (lay out six of them to a page if you can) and pass it on (by email or print) to a friend or two who might like the info!

download the PT Challenge
When the jpg opens in a new window, right click (or control click for Mac users) and choose 'Save image as..' from the pop up window. Put it on your desktop or screensaver (maybe?) and away you go!

This Challenge includes a couple of hot water-related items, so here are some hot water factoids for you to ponder:

the average shower uses approximately 44 litres of hot water
hot water heating is the third largest energy expense in most households
showers, when taken efficiently, use less water than baths
a dripping faucet or shower head can waste 40 litres of water a day. If that happens to be hot water, you're throwing away even more money through the heating process in the bargain.

As a more visible return on your checked off items, our new 'poll' this week will work more like a Challenge Check-in. As you complete or commit to one of the items on the list, come back to the poll and submit a 'vote' on that item. Click 'view results' to see how many items people have acted on and I bet you could almost feel the global temperature cool a bit!

Business Challenge
The Business Challenge is more of an idea than an action item right now. A friend of mine and I were talking a few weeks ago and we thought it would be a great idea to try to get local businesses on board for carbon reductions. I'm trying to imagine a way that Planet Terrace could issue a 'Green Business' recognition or award to local businesses who commit to and account for their carbon reductions. I would love to hear thoughts and feedback on this idea. I think it will take some thinking to make it an 'official' recognition, but I think it's doable and I think our businesses can be leaders in fighting climate change. In fact, I think if we can get enough businesses committed to it, we might even start to get the attention of and action from more of the Council members.

Please submit your comments on this idea. I'd love to hear from local business owners, too. Small and large!

Challenge, Jr.

We did not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrowed it from our children. — Chief Seattle, Squamish tribe leader

This quote was the reason I started thinking hard about climate change several years ago. If we think about our general attitude of 'entitlement' to the planet and the damage we've done to it in this context, what becomes clear is that when we damage the Earth we damage our children's future. With that in mind, Challenge Jr. is an idea I want to pursue to get more young people and students involved in taking action on global warming. This idea is still a bit fuzzy, though, I'll admit. I'd like to have young people guest edit the blog on a regular basis and invite their friends to participate and be part of generating ideas and discussion. This kind of thing could (and should) be open to kids of all ages, as they are the ones who will have to live here when we're done! So please, encourage your children and students to check out the blog and brainstorm ways to participate. Also, please offer any suggestions you might have for how the Challenge, Jr. might come together.

PT Giveaway! [next item]
Yep, you read that right... we've got our very first Planet Terrace Giveaway!

I was the fortunate recipient of a couple of donated flash drives this week, offered as second hand recyclables. They're 128MB Kingston Data Travelers and they're in good condition. They're going free to the first and second people to submit comments in the way of some helpful suggestions on one of our topics. Just use the keyword: CHALLENGE in your post and you're in to win! So if you've got a need for some data storage or transport and want a handy USB helper, get in the discussion!

Poll round up [next item]
As mentioned above, this week's poll is more of a Challenge Check-in. We're going to use the poll to help you report on what action you're taking and how many people in Terrace are doing their part. Simply select and 'submit' an item in the poll to record your action. Each time you complete or commit to one, you submit the item to the poll. 'View results' will let you see how many Terracites are on the ball. So... the more people you can share the Challenge with, the more we'll be able to see Terrace making a positive impact on our climate.

Our last poll results are as follows:

Will you go for a walk or bike ride instead of driving somewhere this week?
83% — Yes, I'm inspired and there's a fitness bonus. I'll try to do it regularly.
8% — Yes, I'll give it a try, but I'm not promising anything.
0% — No, it's too hard.
8% — No, but only because I'm not physically capable.
Summary: 12 votes

HOLY COW, Terrace!! That's great! Especially now that we've got some sun and it's easier to get out there. But 83% of you decided to get on that bike or into your trainers and get out there. I'm pretty sure I saw some of you out there (you have that look about you, you know) as I was madly biking around. Please feel free to stop me and say hi if you catch me out and about. And way to go! Keep up the good work!

Homework
Three words: Planet Terrace Challange!
'Nough said.

Back to top | Follow ups | Feedback | PT Challenge | PT Giveaway! | New poll | Homework

The Cooler Planet Equation:
Footprint – ANYTHING (+ nothing) = cooler planet

I'm hoping to report in on Business Challenge ideas and implementations next time. Plus some new hot tips and factoids! Be there or be uncomfortably warmer...

Anybody who has suggestions or has found interesting/innovative solutions for themselves, please share!

The Carbon Diet

2007-05-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

Outed and in the news | Follow ups | Reportage | PT Mailbox | The Carbon Diet | Local discoveries | New poll | Homework

ACK! Outed and in the news [next item]
Well, no more anonymity for me. The Terrace Standard ran an article on Planet Terrace in the Community section today. (Could that photo be any bigger?!?) Thanks for the exposure, guys and the encouraging article.

One note: There was a small miscommunication about my sense of possibility and Terrace. I meant to get across the idea that, like New Zealand, Terrace is a small place and local people will confirm that change is incredibly possible here. Terracites who want to make a difference should feel empowered, not disabled, by the fact that Terrace is a small enough town to make things happen, but big enough to make a difference.

Planet readers, *share the love!*

Follow ups [next item]
Earth Day
Rumors are that Rotoract's first annual Recycle-a-thon was a huge success! I'd love someone at Rotoract to contact me to confirm the details, but hats off to everyone who came and contributed. YAY Terrace!

Trash vs. Treasure
Spring Clean-up Week seemed to go well, too. There were plenty of enthusiastic residents who were keen to throw out some extra garbage last week, but I do hope our Planet readers were trying to reduce the necessary amount somewhat. Please remember the old adage that one man's trash is another man's treasure. I know sometimes it's refreshing to just cut down the amount of stuff that you live with, but keep in mind that others could find your unwanted items charming and refreshing! (old underwear, lingerie and medical items, not so much) If, for instance, you're replacing that carpet because you never liked the color but it's in otherwise healthy condition, try to find a way to recycle it: donate it to a charity, give it to your carpet-art making friend, or re-use it in the playhouse, dog house or on a cat tree perhaps. A little bit of extra effort goes a long way to reducing our landfills.

Did someone mention landfills? [next item]
Consider this: in 2005 a California report noted that recycling 'waste' has reportedly two times the impact on the economy that burying it in the ground has: thanks to a growing interest and industry in recycling items of all kinds, an additional ton of recycled waste has to capacity to generate over $100 more in wages and product sales, and another $275 in goods and services. And that was in 2005. So if you thought that recycling was all about you, think again. You and the economy can benefit when we recycle... and if you're resourceful, you can find a way to make money off it, too! Garage sale anyone?

PT mailbox: Solutions [next item]
The Planet Terrace mailbox received a great suggestion a little while ago. Robert wrote in with a long-standing alternative to fossil fuel burning transport. Wait for it...

Walking.

Don't give me that look. I know you've heard the word before. Walking is that age old exercise of putting one foot in front of the other to get somewhere. Chances are the last time anyone got excited about you walking was when your parents cried over your first steps. Well, most of us spend the rest of our time on the planet trying to forget how, it seems. But Robert is quite right. Walking is as simple and gratifying an activity as they come. I'm sure you remember the sensation (though it may be largely and lately replaced by the feeling of putting the pedal to the metal). But when was the last time you and your sweetie strolled into town instead of taking the guzzler? It's spring now, the weather is (finally) improving and there's really no excuse. Some of you hard core runners, cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts will testify that you've been out in the elements long before spring (good on you!). And to be honest, our town is small and accessible enough (for the most part) to get to and around on foot when your set your mind to it. Add to that the bonus of helping to address the extra padding that I know *I* managed to store up over the winter and you get two for the price of one absolutely free! All you have to do is plan a little extra time to get what you need to do done, perhaps bring along a reusable shopping bag for any purchases you need to make, even invite a friend or bring the dog (that makes 3 for 1!) and you may even end up saving time AND money.

I want to add that Robert makes another good suggestion on the subject of walking:

"...let's jazz it up a bit," he says. "Make eye contact with passers-by, smile, say hello. A stronger sense of community is a requirement for greener, and gentler, living."

A welcome reminder, Robert, thanks.

The Carbon Diet [next item]
Ok. So last time I tried to get you thinking about carbon offsets. It's important to note that there's a fair bit more to be said about them, and not everyone has something positive to say. There are critics who equate carbon offsets to a guilt tax, similar to the pre-Catholic Reformation sale of indulgences in exchange for sinful absolution.* As long we can pay our way off, why bother reducing our impact on the planet? It's a valid question, but only if you presume that carbon offsets are the only effort we're making to reduce carbon output.

We can probably all agree that living in our culture is extremely difficult to do without generating some kind of carbon footprint. It's a cost that can't be entirely avoided due to our locations, our pre-established needs and choices, and our cultural entrenchment (so to speak). There are plenty of residents in Terrace who, for example, are hard-working, environmentally-minded small business owners who may need to drive a truck or SUV to successfully run that business and serve their locally-loyal customers (which also limits carbon output by reducing long distance transport to provide services). These companies can help promote alternative energy projects when they purchase an annual carbon offset pass for the footprint an otherwise earth-unfriendly vehicle makes. There's nothing guilty about that, and local businesses who pursue that option should be lauded for their forward thinking.

Another important factor in making sure carbon offsets are positive ones is to research the broker who's selling the offsets to be certain they have a good reputation and record of accountability. And the offsets themselves should be considered 'additional'. The David Suzuki Foundation describes additionality (and other offset concepts) in this article. It says:

"An offset project is considered additional if it isn't business as usual. Typically this means that the project wouldn't have happened without the extra funding from the sale of offsets. Additionality is extremely important, as the entire concept of offsetting... is based on the premise that those reductions wouldn't have happened otherwise."

But if all you or your business ever did was buy a carbon offset and proudly sport that sticker on your car as a status symbol, then yeah, you'd probably be a candidate for a Carbon Attitude Reformation.

The trick is to consider carbon offsets as part of a well-rounded carbon reduction diet. Just like other efforts that you're hopefully making (replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, stopping junk mail, recycling, etc.), carbon offsets will be one of the steps in your own personal journey of reducing that dreaded sasquatch footprint.

So the short equation is this:

Footprint – ANYTHING (+ nothing) = cooler planet

ANYTHING you change which reduces your carbon footprint and isn't replaced by an equally or more carbon damaging activity is going to help reduce global warming. It's that simple.

Recent local discoveries [next item]
Keep an eye on Planet Terrace in the near future! We're hoping to have some guest editors soon and lots of community feedback and contributions thanks to our recent increased exposure.

Poll round up
As always, check out the new poll! Submit your votes and check results for the current polls in the right column.
Our last poll results are as follows:

Ever heard of carbon offsetting?
25% - You bet, and I'm a big fan!
50% - Heard of it but never done it.
13% - Just heard of it and I'd like to try it.
13% - Yeah, and it's a load of bull.
Summary: 8 votes

Well, let's hope any skeptics have been somewhat appeased by today's info. Glad to hear some of you would like to give it a try, but do be smart about it.

Why haven't you posted a comment on Planet Terrace?
0% - I have! And I want to be the Supreme Commenter!
0% - I would, but I can't figure it out.
33% - I'm shy but supportive.
67% - I believe computer gremlins will come and attack me in my sleep if I express an opinion on the interweb.
Summary: 3 votes

Okay, folks. That's just disturbing. More people are afraid of mythical gremlins than anything. Let's get some input in here! I personally promise no harm will come to you.

Homework
Go for a walk! And don't forget to smile and say hi...
More recycling
Get to know a carbon offset provider
Have compact flourescents (CFLs) ready to replace incandescents when they go out.
Consider encouraging local businesses to carbon offset their vehicles
Keep up the good work!

* No religious indifference or insult is intended here. I'm not suggesting that carbon lifestyle changes constitute religion.

Back to top | Outed and in the news | Follow ups | Reportage | PT Mailbox | The Carbon Diet | Local discoveries | New poll | Homework

Tune in next week when we have some practical household footprint-reducing tips and report on new developments! Be there or expect a visit from the Carbon Attitude Police...

Anybody who has suggestions or has found interesting/innovative solutions for themselves, please share!

Buying time

2007-04-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

Most sincere apologies for the long delay between posts. This is the danger of being a one-person resource: when life happens there's no guest editor (volunteers for this position are welcome to email me). Meanwhile, I appreciate your continuing enthusiasm.

Carbon offsets: buying time | Local discoveries | Reportage | New poll | Homework | Kurt Vonnegut speaks out

Carbon offsets: buying time [next item]
Last post I outlined for everyone what a carbon footprint is and why it's important. With the clock ticking on greenhouse gases, the question of how we can change our habits to start making an impact is urgent, but doesn't always come with easy answers.

One approach, although sometimes controversial, is to support carbon offsets. This is a means by which you can counterbalance energy and fuel use that you can't avoid. There are several carbon offset companies out there (we'll review a couple next time) which offer the purchase of carbon 'credits' (so to speak) from projects which pursue measurable reductions in energy use. Things like methane consumption, energy efficiency, and wind farms or alternate energy projects. These are projects that seek ways of reducing carbon footprints on a much larger scale, so when you support them you help ensure their success. The exchange is a reasonably sound approach to reducing carbon, but some opponents argue that it's just a glorified conscience tax (or if you prefer the religious parlance: penance). Which is a legitimate argument if this all you plan to do to help stop global warming. It's important to keep in mind that these kinds of efforts are most beneficial as part of an overall energy diet.

So carbon offset companies allow you to buy credits to offset, say, the carbon cost of your summer road trip or cross country flight. Many of them also offer an assessment of the annual carbon cost of driving your car or running your home. And it's surprisingly cheap. For instance, a round trip flight from Vancouver to Toronto is 3343 km and emits .732 tonnes of carbon dioxide while you personally use up 314 litres of airplane fuel while you ride along. If you bought an Offsetters flight offset for this trip it would only cost you CA$13.79. Not bad. Of course, that only balances your emissions. If you want to contribute to reducing them, you might want to consider paying for a bit more. Still, anything that you do now which is a personal reduction is better than what you were doing before.

Carbon offsets are a fairly meaty topic (that's firm tofu for you vegetarians out there), so I'd like to do part B on carbon emissions next time.

For now, do me a favor and consider investigating the purchase of a carbon offset for any air travel you'll be doing soon. It's a good way to get your feet wet, and it won't cost you a fortune. Please report back to us here and let us know what a good traveler you are when you do!

Recent local discoveries [next item]
As we spring into Spring, we have a bumper crop of items to check in on. I'm hoping to make some of these items regulars, so be sure to keep checking back to stay updated.

Spring Clean-up Week, April 23–27
The City's annual clean-up effort is coming up. This is the time when you're allowed to put out extra refuse for no extra charge. HOWEVER... I'd like to encourage Terrace residents to take this opportunity to increase their recycling efforts instead of increase their contributions to our local landfill. That means, if you have large, bulky items like old furniture or household items, consider donating them (if they're in good condition or easily repaired) to a thrift shop or someone you know who could make better use of them. Also consider how much of your garbage is conventionally recyclable. If you're frustrated with hauling your recycling around, consider contacting Terrace's own Do Your Part Recycling Company and let them do it for you.

Our recycling poll results can be found below.

Compost collection
Starts next week. Collection is only on Mondays, and starts on April 16th. Remember: composting is an important way to reduce landfill content by separating plant waste from non-biodegradable landfill content and allowing it to degrade naturally.

Consider: composting your kitchen leftovers and vegetable matter and using it in your own garden. It's cheaper, cleaner, and you know where it came from.

Earth Day April 22
All Terracites who are concerned about climate change (aka: global warming, climate crisis, "is it hot in here or is it just me?"...) should mark their calendars for this international annual observance. You don't have to wait for Earth Day to start acting, but if you need a calendar event to light that fire underneath you, then make the most of it.

And just to make sure you do, Terrace's young rotarians from Rotaract along with Do Your Part are conducting their first annual Earth Day Recycle-a-thon. From 12–3 on April 22, you can drop off your recyclables and used garden tools (please offer a cash donation for the service, too) in the Canadian Tire parking lot. Proceeds go to the Terrace Anti-Poverty Community Gardens. (For more info call: 635-5756)

Reportage [next item]
The most recent Council Agenda Package was made available online this week. Now, I'll admit that I'm no expert at reading these things. It's a lot to wade through. There did appear to be a remarkable lack of any dialogue about environmental/energy/climate related concerns within the minutes or agenda. But it's worth noting that the Council received (2 April) a letter from BC Hydro regarding their Turn it Off Challenge (starting June 1). The Challenge is promoted as a way for city councils and organizations to lead the way in energy conservation citing that if only 25 office employees turned off their workstation lighting during non-working hours they would save enough energy to run a residential home for one year. The implications of a city-wide observance of this are reasonably impressive. If we got only 2500 office employees to do this, we'd be able to save 100 times that. Here's hoping that the Council will bring this initiative and many others like it to the forefront in the near future.

New poll [next item]
We have a new carbon offset poll for you! And a bonus poll. Please submit your votes and check results for the polls in the right column.
Our last poll results are as follows:

Do you recycle in Terrace?
54% — Yes, every chance I get!
15% — Some stuff. It's kind of a pain.
0% — No, never.
31% — I don't, but I would if the city offered a service.
Total: 13 votes

What's interesting is that none of our poll takers ignored recycling altogether (or wouldn't admit it), but nearly 1/3 of the poll takers were willing to say that they don't recycle, but would be motivated to do so if the city would facilitate it. Imagine a 30% reduction in Terrace's landfill! Is anyone from the city out there reading?

Homework [next item]

Compost your kitchen leftovers

Collect recyclables and garden tools for Rotoract

Plan your Earth Day reductions

Look into purchasing a carbon offset for air or car travel for this season and report in!

Actually, I'm just going to assign a general homework assignment of reporting in for everyone. Let me know you're out there! Use the comment link below each post... you can even do it anonymously. But start talking! I've gotten a few email suggestions, but would like to see a more interactive environment here, too.

Kurt Vonnegut [back to top]
In memory of this great author, I'd like to pass these on:

If flying-saucer creatures or angels or whatever were to come here in a hundred years, say, and find us gone like the dinosaurs, what might be a good message for humanity to leave for them, maybe carved in great big letters on a Grand Canyon wall? Here is this old poop's suggestion: WE PROBABLY COULD HAVE SAVED OURSELVES, BUT WERE TOO DAMNED LAZY TO TRY VERY HARD...
— Kurt Vonnegut

When the last living thing
has died on account of us,
how poetical it would be
if Earth could say,
in a voice floating up
perhaps
from the floor
of the Grand Canyon,
“It is done.”
People did not like it here.
— from Requiem by Kurt Vonnegut

Carbon offsets: buying time | Local discoveries | Reportage | New poll | Homework | Kurt Vonnegut speaks out | Back to top

Tune in next week when we go into more carbon offset detail and report on new developments. Same bat time, same bat channel.

Anybody who has suggestions or has found interesting/innovative solutions for themselves, please share!

Sasquatch or salamander?

2007-03-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

This week let's talk terminology. It's boring, but it's got to be done.

Let's consider for a moment whether you have big feet. No, this isn't some kind of podiatry survey (although that would, of course, be hours of fun). Mostly I'm interested the size of your footprint – your carbon footprint.

Here's a handy dandy all-purpose mini carbon primer:

Carbon is the by-product of the life cycle (and decay) of living things.
Unfortunately, it's also the by-product of our nefarious lifestyle ways, the most noticeable and damaging of which is the burning of fossil fuels.

So that leaves us with the heart warming concept that carbon emissions are both natural and bad.

Welcome to the complicated business of saving the world.

It goes like this:

Absolutely everyone who exhales on a regular basis has a carbon footprint (even those that don't, actually, since decay releases carbon, too)
As a community built in a free, modern, civilised country it's near to impossible to avoid consuming energy in some form to survive or live a modestly comfortable lifestyle. (You've probably noticed this bit.)
The consumption of energy determines the impact your life/lifestyle has on the planet's ecosystem
The size of the impact you personally have determines your 'carbon footprint' on the world
So, your carbon footprint will be based on the amount of energy you require (in the form of burning fossil fuels, mainly) to conduct your life.

The question is, then... does your carbon footprint resemble more of a Sasquatch or a salamander?

Again, podiatrically speaking (okay, no vocabulary emails... I like making up words), we're used to being stuck with our too-large/too-small/freakishly normal feet. But here in Environmental Responsibility Land you CAN change the size of your footprint. It's simple: reduce your energy consumption.

Since this whole blog is based on that very notion, I won't go on and on about it in this posting. Let it suffice to say that what we need to do is pretty much anything we can think of to cut back our energy usage from turning off a light to selling a car and everything in between.

Ergo, today's message is:
Everything you do which reduces your 'business as usual' approach to energy consumption brings us one step closer to a 'cooler' world.

Now go on out there and do your bit.

Tune in next week when we talk about... carbon offsets!
Same bat time, same bat channel.

Anybody who has suggestions or has found interesting/innovative solutions for themselves, please share!

Welcome!

2007-03-05T19:48:00.000-08:00

Hi folks. Thanks for tuning in.

Birth of a Planet
I'll bet you're all dying to know how the modern day Planet is born. Especially since most of the headlines are about how we're currently killing the one we're on. Allow me to elaborate.

A group of interested (enthusiastic) Terrace residents attended a community development workshop on March 3. The idea was to talk about our interests and ideas for the town, the community, the region and its residents. Several working groups were formed to discuss top-ranking submitted ideas and brainstorm possible ways of addressing them. The number of topics, concerns, and the energy of the group was really quite staggering. So much so that the vetting process made deciding which discussion to partake in a bloody tough choice. After careful consideration of the offerings (read: ultimatums were declared) I became part of a group discussing environmental concerns in the area and how they were (or weren't) being tackled.

The Readers Digest version
Basically, our group expressed a general disgruntlement with the options and information available or provided by the city for incorporating the 'reduce, reuse and recycle' concepts into our local lifestyle.

One of the biggest problems we saw with achieving any action on this topic was a lack of education directly aimed at or available to residents. Add to that the general feeling of helplessness that most of us experience about such overwhelming concepts as global warming and carbon emissions and you've got a recipe for inaction. Education, as we all know, is the chief means by which we can fight apathy and ignorance. But education can be tricky, expensive, and time consuming. Especially if you try to do it all on your own.

Enter the internet
The good ole interweb is the cheapest and (arguably) easiest way to get your information to people. All you need is someone reasonably well versed in the nefarious ways of the web (that's me, I'm guessing) and a passion for enviro-issues (also me and hopefully you) and a penchant for volunteering for things (yep, me again) and... voila! The birth of Planet Terrace.

The inevitable disclaimer
Previous statements about 'educating yourself on your own' being (to paraphrase) painful notwithstanding, that is what I'm going to be doing here. I'm not putting myself out here as a ready-made expert or as a poster child for green living. Like you, I'm just a concerned resident of Terrace. But I will do my best to find the facts and the experts and point you to them. And I'm going to work my keyboard to a nub trying to bring you weekly tips and hints about creative recycling, reducing your carbon footprint, how to save on energy bills (and in some cases make money doing it!), and generally about how little ole you can help make a difference. Because absolutely every little effort you make will help bring our Planet (and our planet) back to life.

Some details
I'll need your feedback. Comments, suggestions and bits of information are more than welcome. Although it will no doubt occasionally be tempting, abusive contributions will be either ignored or exploited so proceed at your own risk. All other submissions will be happily shared. Volunteers, sponsors and embarrassingly large (or small) donations will also be appreciated.

You can subscribe to an RSS/Atom feed for this blog to get new entries directly to a newsreader or aggregate reader of your choice. You are encouraged, prodded and cajoled to share this site with everyone and anyone who can read and has a computer. Print it out if you have to. Read it to anyone in earshot. Teach your children to sing the URL. They, more than any of us, need the Planet to survive.

If you'd like to share the original content of the blog, please credit the site. We are operating under an implied copyright, so don't be naughty and pass it off as your own. Or at least have the decency to rewrite it. And if you're going to do that, consider the volunteer position mentioned above.

Thanks
...to everyone for your interest (especially those still reading)! It's exciting to have you here. I promise to make future posts as economical (or at least entertaining) as possible.